Transition to Nursing Practice and the Development of Patient Safety Competencies: Protocol for a Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Introduction: The first year of nursing practice represents a period of professional vulnerability and a critical phase for patient safety. Although patient safety is recognized as a global priority by the World Health Organization, the evolution of nurses’ competence in this area during the transition to professional practice remains underexplored. To examine this transition process, the present study draws on a 12-month integration program, implemented in a French-speaking Swiss university hospital and informed by Duchscher’s (2008) transition model.
 
Objectives: To explore the evolution of perceived patient safety competence among newly graduated nurses during their first year of hospital practice and to analyze the influence of institutional, contextual, and experiential factors on this evolution.
 
Method: Longitudinal mixed-methods design using a convergent parallel approach. The quantitative component employs the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (T1, T2, T3) and the Casey-Fink preceptorship scale (T2, T3). Measurement points correspond to Duchscher’s phases of transition—“doing” (first month), “being” (fifth month), and “knowing” (tenth month). The qualitative component includes individual interviews (during the “being” phase) and focus groups (during the “knowing” phase), analyzed according to the 6 domains of the Canadian Patient Safety Competency Framework. Quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated through a cross-interpretation matrix.
 
Discussion and Research Spin-offs: A deeper understanding of the evolution of nurses’ perceived competence in patient safety will be useful to identify the key factors supporting its development and guide the pedagogical and organizational adjustments needed to strengthen the culture of safety.